Lining up for this yr’s Leadville Trail 100 MTB, I underestimated the problem forward, satisfied that science would not apply to me. I arrived in Leadville on Thursday afternoon, simply 36 hours earlier than the race, which served because the third cease within the Life Time Grand Prix.
I hoped my physique wouldn’t discover the sudden change in altitude. It didn’t take lengthy for my physique to acknowledge the sudden lack of oxygen, reminding me that the results of altitude are very actual.
Despite well-established literature on the impacts of excessive altitude on efficiency, I used to be assured that I wouldn’t be simply one other statistic. After all, I’m a well-trained athlete and have thrived in high-altitude races earlier than, with previous wins in Colorado at SBT GRVL, peaking at 8,476 ft (2,584m); The Rad Dirt Fest, peaking at 8,921 ft (2,719m); and Utah’s Crusher within the Tushar, peaking at 10,291 ft (3,137m).
How unhealthy might rather less oxygen be in a race that by no means dips under 10,000 toes (3048m) with a peak of 12,600 toes (3840m)?
“How unhealthy might an additional 5k toes be?” I believed, coming from Boulder, which is midway to Leadville’s cruising altitude of 10,000 toes (3048m).
As it seems, very unhealthy.
I shortly discovered that going from Boulder to Leadville is a much bigger drop in efficient oxygen charge than transferring from Atlanta, Georgia, to Boulder, Colorado, a transition I made simply over a month in the past. But extra on that in a bit.
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Racing throughout the sky
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As I climbed Powerline the day earlier than the race to get a lay of the land, an ocular migraine – typically triggered by excessive altitude – hit me arduous. It wasn’t my first time experiencing this, so I knew the same old culprits: train, dehydration, stress and excessive altitude. When I began to see zigzagging patterns and floating traces within the rocks and timber, I braced for the extreme headache that might observe, together with nausea, exhaustion and fatigue.
The migraine was nonetheless raging the morning of the race, prompting me to take 4 ibuprofen earlier than the beginning. But the actual problem wasn’t simply the ache; it was the overwhelming fatigue that gripped my whole physique.
When the gun went off at 6:20 a.m. native time for the ‘race throughout the sky’, my legs wouldn’t reply. The migraine paired with a wholesome dose of altitude illness, made for a not-so-great day on the bike.
Melisa Rollins received this yr’s Leadville 100 in 7:09:47. I did end, twenty second amongst professional ladies in 8:04:19, the time a bit of over 17 minutes slower than final yr.
Leadville Trail 100 MTB presents distinctive challenges for a lot of riders, together with those that stay past the western US states, and particularly these based mostly at sea degree. For occasion, talking with fellow Grand Prix competitor Danni Shrosbree, she’s unable to coach on any climb longer than 5 minutes being based mostly in London.
Ultimately, Danni determined to make use of Leadville as considered one of her two drop races because of the monetary and logistical hurdles of acclimatizing. I can’t think about how tough it’s for riders like her.
Hayley Preen from South Africa additionally couldn’t race Leadville because of related challenges. She was speculated to be my roommate at Crusher, the place she was able to race. Peta Mullens from Australia made me recognize how fortunate I’m to stay simply two hours from Leadville. Peta shall be stateside till the final race within the Grand Prix, Big Sugar.
Samara Sheperd of Australia struggled to push by regardless of having spent six weeks at altitude. She stayed in Vail, round Leadville’s altitude, and drove to Leadville to pre-ride and race.
“I’ve been at altitude now for six weeks and can’t wait to be at sea degree once more—to really feel good once more,” she shared. It’s a sentiment many people can relate to after enduring the tough realities of racing at excessive altitudes.
Science behind the wrestle
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My path to Leadville wasn’t typical. Even although I stay simply two hours away from Leadville now, I confronted logistical and monetary boundaries to spending a correct period of time at 10,000 toes. And this previous month, life exterior of biking took the entrance seat.
I needed to adapt to a brand new coaching model. My husband lately graduated from his medical residency in Atlanta, and sustaining the approach to life of a professional bike owner whereas residing in a metropolitan metropolis at sea degree for 5 years was no simple feat. But it taught me an vital lesson: take advantage of what you may have.
In Atlanta, my coaching revolved round maximizing the restricted elevation. My Strava information exhibits I rode up the one “correct” coaching climb – 4 minutes with temporary downhills – 1,400 instances. It wasn’t splendid, however when it’s all you may have it’s a necessity.
Perhaps for this reason I believed I might journey to Leadville inside 36 hours of the race from Boulder and be nice. I used to be not nice.
Analyzing the information utilizing an evaluation of the impact of altitude on operating efficiency revealed by the National Library of Medicine (Péronnet, F. et al. 1991), a well-acclimated athlete climbing to the highest of Columbine would produce 76% of their cardio energy in comparison with sea degree, the place oxygen is plentiful. In distinction, an unacclimated rider would produce solely 73%. At Leadville’s cruising altitude of 10k, these numbers drop additional to 83.7% and 79.3%, respectively.
The influence of altitude on efficiency isn’t simply an exponential lower; it’s a big discount in oxygen availability that impacts each facet of an athlete’s efficiency. The larger you go, the extra pronounced the impact, with a pointy decline in VO2 max as altitude will increase.
This isn’t a linear drop; it accelerates at very excessive altitudes, making races like Leadville exceptionally difficult. Another research revealed by the National Library of Medicine (Bassett, D.R. et al. 1999) illustrates this utilizing information from evaluating biking world hour information throughout 30 years, adjusting for variations in aerodynamic gear and altitude.
Learning from those that received it proper
Leadville 100 winner Rollins shared her expertise about her preparations for competing altitude, which included collaborating within the three-day Leadville Stage Race on the identical course and taking the win there.
“I received to Leadville on July 24, so I used to be at altitude for 17 days earlier than the race. The first few days had been powerful, however by day 5, I felt the identical as I do at residence in Salt Lake City (roughly 4200 toes above sea degree). I feel it helped, however everyone seems to be totally different. I haven’t been capable of sleep greater than 6-7 hours an evening since I received up right here, so which will influence individuals otherwise. For me, I do OK on minimal sleep,” she stated.
What is her recommendation? “Next yr, come up for the stage race and keep! I do know it’s not all the time potential with logistics, however the previous couple of weeks have been so enjoyable. I made certain all of my coaching was executed earlier than I arrived at altitude. It’s an fascinating puzzle!”
Melissa’s strategy highlights the significance of acclimatization, preparation, and understanding how your physique responds to altitude.
For these of us who didn’t get it fairly proper this time, it’s a helpful lesson discovered.